Saturday, August 02, 2008

Swimming

We have spent a great deal of time at the pool this year with very few incidents like last year. For those of you that are new may not remember the many things they did that attracted unwanted attention. Coming out of the restroom completely naked, peeing on the side of the pool where everyone stared at the yellow stream coming very close to the edge, or the lovely tantrums requiring my arms to be wrapped around them while I continued to watch the others swim. We were actually asked not to come back to the YMCA, they were nice but didn't want us peeing on the other guests or subjecting them to angry nude children. I couldn't blame them.

This year the worst that has happened is they have had to sit out under an umbrella and watch with tears streaming down their little faces. No fits, not screams, no peeing, and no streaking. My children are turning into excellent swimmers w/o all the anger to side track them. Emma, Michael, and Ava have learned to dive this week. They did a few belly flops but are really good after the first couple of tries. Michael can dive in and swim over half the pool before coming up for air. Emma is good at anything athletic and can go and go and go. She is a strong above water swimmer. Ruthie is so graceful when she dives that it looks as if she really knows what she is doing. Ava tries so hard to dive but ends up doing flips about half the time. This is so Ava, rush and do a half ass job instead of listening and trying. Still an excellent job for a 6 yr old.

This deep end diving gives Ella another opportunity to feel sorry for herself. She has to wear a floaty bathing suit b/c she can't swim yet and is not allowed past the rope. This is not her fault, she tries but having Cerebral Palsy makes physical activities more difficult. She will eventually get it, I am sure. As you all know by now, I do not baby her and do not put up with the pity party crap. She, however, has not gotten this memo and insists on sitting at the shallow end or on her towel by herself for the hour that I stand at the deep end for them to dive. SHe could float on the other side of the rope and participate in cheering them on but that would take the focus off her and her pitifullness.

4 comments:

Tara has CP, too. Funny that Ella uses that as an excuse. Swimming is really good for kids with CP. Tara is like a little fish in the water. No one can notice how awkward her gait is or her hip dysplagia and all that jazz. It'll take Ella a little longer, like you said, but she'll get it as soon as she stops feeling sorry for herself :)

And how nice that you can go swimming without nudity and urine!!! My new son nudes up at the littlest thing and the other one whips it out and pees everywhere. I think there is a magnet in his hand and his pee pee as they are never apart :)

I just had another idea, Tudu. My daughter has been seeing a chiropractor for her cerebral palsy for years now. Before she started, she couldn't run, jump, skip, or straighten her back wile walking. She also walked on her toes. At her last foster home, she started seeing a chiropractor that practices the Gonstead Technique. It is important that the chiropractor do this particular technique for cerebral palsy. They need to have studied and been trained in this particular method. Anyway, after about three years of the Gonstead, she is in regular gym (has adaptive still once a week) but can keep up with her peers in running, jumping, etc. She is an AWESOME basketball player and swimmer. The Gonstead finds the hot spots in the spine and opens them up. The doctor uses a special temp sensor, finds the hot spot, and does a quick adjustment or two. The whole thing takes less than 5 minutes a visit. It really is miracle working.

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About Me

I am the mother of 10 children, 6 are part of a large sibling group we adopted through foster care in 2006, 2 are our grown foster daughters, 2 are from independent infant adoptions in 2001 and 2008. Every one of them have their own issues to work through from Schizo-Affective Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Complex PTSD, Reactive Attachment Disorder, Sensory Integration Dysfunction, ADHD, and Cerebral Palsy. Most of our children have been victims of sexual abuse by a close family member, most acted out sexually or exhibited predatory behaviors. We are currently trying to figure out where the trauma ends and mental illness begins in each of their lives.